1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ink jet recording media that are useful for making temporary tattoo images on human skin or other surfaces. The media comprise a water-soakable release-paper substrate coated with an ink jet imaging layer.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
In most human cultures, it is common to decorate the human body. Societies from the most primitive in technological development to the most sophisticated by today's standards tolerate, if not promote, such decoration. It is generally believed that the first efforts at adorning the human body involved using clays and ash to color the body. Stains and dyes from flora were also used early in the development of primitive societies. These types of adornment were used for various purposes including recognition of status, signaling of marital intent or status, enhancing attractiveness to suitors, providing religious and ceremonial markings, and creation of a fearsome or frightening visage.
These types of decorations tended to be rather crude, consisting of course lines and designs. The materials used were not always readily available and the toxicological, allergenic, and bacteriological properties of the materials tended to lack control. As societies became more sophisticated, decorating the body became more specific, depending on the body part. For example, more permanent and durable coloring solutions were used on the nails of the hands and feet, brightly colored waxes were used on the lips, tacky powders were used on the cheeks, and thick, dark oil or graphite-based materials were used around the eyes. These basic decorations are still used in modified form today.
More stylized or artistic decorations of the human body have always been desired by certain portions of society. Tattoos have been used as decorations of the human body for many centuries. Tattoos developed from the techniques of scarring the body to form patterns or images by texturing the flesh of a person. Deep abrasion and cutting of the skin causes areas of the skin to rise and form scars. It was probably noted after the use of dirty or colored scarring tools that coloration of the scarred flesh occurred. Purposeful addition of colorants forced under the skin by tools then followed. Modem tattoos use medical-quality needles to inject non-fugitive dyes and pigments in subcutaneous patterns that are visible. The process of applying tattoos is both painful and costly, and the image is permanent.
A number of tattoo imitations have been developed to give the appearance of detailed skin or body images without the permanency or pain involved with tattoos. The three major types of substitutes include painted images, transferable dye images, and decal images.
Painted images require the artistic efforts of a painter to provide a good quality image. Painted images are relatively expensive, but provide an infinite variety of high quality images.
For transferable-dye images, water-soluble dyes are usually painted on a substrate in a pattern or image. The wetted dyes are then pressed against the skin, thus transferring them to the skin. This method tends to produce streaked, smeared and partial images. The dyes are water-soluble and will run and streak easily from perspiration or other liquids. However, in some instances, transferable-dye images are very similar to body tattoos.
Decal tattoo imitations comprise a printed image on a substrate with an adhesive material on the other side of the substrate. These decals tend to appear highly artificial. Currently available decal body tattoos have been successfully marketed for many years, but they appear little better than Band-Aids.RTM. with printed images on them.
Relyea, U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,276 discloses a printed, removable, body tattoo on a translucent substrate. The substrate is a flexible, porous, non-woven, compacted tissue substrate which is translucent and which has on one surface a printed image and a pressure sensitive adhesive on the other surface of the substrate.
Kitabatake, U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,169 discloses a transfer process and a transfer sheet for use therein, where the process includes the steps of (a) providing a transfer sheet comprising a substrate and a pattern layer comprising lower alcohol-soluble, water-insoluble dyes provided on at least one surface of the substrate, (b) wetting the pattern layer of the transfer sheet with a transfer solution containing lower alcohols and bringing the transfer sheet into close contact with a receiving surface onto which the pattern is to be transferred in such a manner that the pattern layer contacts the receiving surface, (c) maintaining the transfer sheet in close contact with the receiving surface under pressure, and (d) peeling the transfer sheet from the receiving surface thereby to leave a transferred pattern corresponding to the pattern to the transfer sheet on the receiving surface.
Albrecht et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,263 discloses a composition for coloring skin comprising a carrier containing an alcohol component consisting of and aromatic alcohol, and aliphatic alcohol or mixtures thereof and certain certified acid dyes, with the composition having an acid pH equal to or less than 4.
Witkowski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,401 discloses a label for a container in the form or a metallic generally cylindrical can or glass or plastic bottle wherein the label encompasses and surrounds the outer side surface of the container, the label carrying suitable advertising matter on the exterior surface of the label, and the internal surface of the label having printed thereon on one or more removable temporary transfer tattoos, which are water soluble and can be easily transferred from the label to the skin of a child for his or her enjoyment and entertainment.
Lehmann et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,765 discloses a toy tattoo playset that includes simulated tattoos that are non-toxic water-soluble adhesive backed prints having decorative designs and/or legends.
Penaluna, U.S. Pat. 5,601,859 discloses a chewing gum product comprising a wrapper, wherein the wrapper on the side in contact with the gum is coated with wax, and the other side of the wrapper contains no wax or adhesive and carries at least one complete design of ink comprising vegetable dye and polyvinyl alcohol, which is transferable as a tattoo by wetting the design with water and pressing it against the surface to which the tattoo is to be transferred.